Ross Kemp on Gangs
Encyclopedia
Ross Kemp on Gangs is a BAFTA
award-winning documentary
series
shown on Sky1 and later repeated on Sky3. On 20 May 2007 the series won a BAFTA award for best factual series. The show is hosted by actor Ross Kemp
, best known for his role of Grant Mitchell
in the show EastEnders
where Kemp's character was involved in several storylines involving gangs.
On the show Kemp travels around the world talking to gang members, locals who have been affected by gang violence, and the authorities who are attempting to combat the problem. In each episode he attempts to establish contacts within the gangs who can arrange interviews with the gangs' leaders.
Ross Kemp investigates the obsession with firearms in America.
Episode 2 - Rio de Janeiro
In Rio de Janeiro, Ross examines the war waging not only between the authorities and the drugs trade, but the rival gangs that are locked in bitter feuds for control of the slums. Ross travels into troubled regions of the city to uncover how far things have gone and if there is any way back. In the process Ross discovers the extent of inequality in Brazil's society.
Episode 3 - New Zealand
.
Ross explores the violent underworld beneath the rolling hills and sweeping valleys of one of the most beautiful countries on earth. He tracks down The Mongrel Mob who are responsible for countless violent assaults.
Episode 4 - Orange County
Orange County, California, regarded as the birthplace of American skinheads. The recent amalgamation of various factions has led to the creation of the Orange County Skinheads where Ross gets to grips with the impact of this group on a concerned community.
Episode 5 - London
Ross Kemp visits London to investigate the multi cultural society that breeds international organised crime. Ross also speaks to ethnic minorities that feel they are alienated by society and the system. See also Gangs in the United Kingdom.
Ross travels to El Salvador to meet the "most dangerous gang in the world", MS13 (Mara Salvatrucha
) a gang started by migrant Salvadoran youths in urban Los Angeles. In a country with a population smaller than London, there are over 800 murders a year, and MS13 manages to boast over 100,000 members world wide.
Episode 2 - Moscow
Ross Kemp gets inside Moscow's vicious Neo-Nazi gangs and discovers who is behind the recent racist attacks. He joins one Neo-Nazi group during their training and through a series of tests (which include him being set on fire).
Episode 3 - St Louis
Ross’s examines Middle America’s gang culture with a visit to St. Louis, Missouri
; where he takes a look at how this Midwestern municipality with a population of 342,000 people, there are around 380,000 guns – and many of these are in the hands of gang members.
Episode 4 - South Africa
Ross explores South Africa
's ferocious Numbers Gang
which thrives in the country's overcrowded prisons. Nowhere is their power more potent than Cape Town's Pollsmoor High Security Prison
. Here, Ross learns the fearsome power of the Numbers who subject new arrivals to violent attacks and gang rapes as part of their brutal initiations. (NB: It was this episode which won the Bafta for Best Factual Series, 2008.)
Episode 5 - Teenage Gangs of South London
Following the recent spate of gang related incidents in London, Ross Kemp visits Peckham and Brixton and speaks to some of South London's most notorious gangs, including the Peckham boys and Cripset
(South London Crips). See also Gangs in the United Kingdom.
Ross Kemp travels to Kingston, Jamaica
, the murder capital of the world, where gangs historically aligned to Jamaica's two political parties. Ross discovers the gangs have moved away from their political roots and now engage in a bloody turf war, funded by drugs and driven by tit-for-tat reprisals, that has spawned a new generation of even more violent gangs.
Ross travels to Poland to visit the Polish
football hooligan
s who have become some of the most feared gangs in Europe. Ross joins an elite police riot squad as they escort a notoriously violent hooligan gang and travels to Gorzów
, to meet the leaders of the brutal Stilon Fighters.
Kemp visits Colombia, a country ravaged by war and synonymous with drugs and violence, Ross Kemp meets the people involved in the long and bitter guerrilla fighting - including the most secretive of them all, the Sicarios
. These small groups, mostly under the employ of the paramilitaries, operate as 'hit-squads', killing whoever is considered a threat.
More than two-thirds of East Timorese
youth are believed to be involved in gangs, ranging from martial arts groups to cult-like animist gangs. In the barrios of downtown Dili
, Ross meets Sacred Heart and Seven Seven, two gangs in the midst of a deadly conflict, and witnesses their bizarre rituals, strict training and terrifying arsenal.
Street gangs of Norris Green and Croxteth. For legal reasons, broadcast of this program was delayed until the 6th January 2009 due to the Rhys Jones murder trial
.
Ross Kemp travels to Los Angeles, California to interview the Crips
and the Bloods
in the areas of Compton
, known to be the most gang prohibited area in all of the United States. And the fight between African American
and Latino
gang members.
Kemp explores Bulgaria and some parts of London to find out who is actually behind the Roma Pick-Pocketing members. He also goes to Bulgaria to visit Roma gangs and Neo-Nazi Skinheads.
Cocaine trafficking.
In this 90-minute special, Ross Kemp travels to Kenya to investigate the Mungiki
, an outfit labelled as the most dangerous "gang" in Africa. A 20 minute Glue Kids Appeal followed a week after "A Kenya Special" aired.
British Academy Television Awards 2007
The 2007 British Academy Television Awards were held on Sunday 20 May at the London Palladium Theatre in London. They were broadcast live on BBC One in the UK...
award-winning documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
series
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
shown on Sky1 and later repeated on Sky3. On 20 May 2007 the series won a BAFTA award for best factual series. The show is hosted by actor Ross Kemp
Ross Kemp
Ross James Kemp is a BAFTA award-winning British actor, author and journalist, who rose to prominence in the role of Grant Mitchell in the BBC soap opera, EastEnders...
, best known for his role of Grant Mitchell
Grant Mitchell (EastEnders)
Grant Anthony Mitchell is a fictional character from the British soap opera EastEnders, played by Ross Kemp. Grant first appeared in 1990, introduced by producer Michael Ferguson to revamp the show. Kemp remained until 1999 when he opted to leave...
in the show EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
where Kemp's character was involved in several storylines involving gangs.
On the show Kemp travels around the world talking to gang members, locals who have been affected by gang violence, and the authorities who are attempting to combat the problem. In each episode he attempts to establish contacts within the gangs who can arrange interviews with the gangs' leaders.
Series 1
Episode 1 - Lethal Attraction: Why Americans Love Guns (An inspiration for ‘Ross Kemp On Gangs’)Ross Kemp investigates the obsession with firearms in America.
Episode 2 - Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
In Rio de Janeiro, Ross examines the war waging not only between the authorities and the drugs trade, but the rival gangs that are locked in bitter feuds for control of the slums. Ross travels into troubled regions of the city to uncover how far things have gone and if there is any way back. In the process Ross discovers the extent of inequality in Brazil's society.
Episode 3 - New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
Ross explores the violent underworld beneath the rolling hills and sweeping valleys of one of the most beautiful countries on earth. He tracks down The Mongrel Mob who are responsible for countless violent assaults.
Episode 4 - Orange County
Orange County, California, regarded as the birthplace of American skinheads. The recent amalgamation of various factions has led to the creation of the Orange County Skinheads where Ross gets to grips with the impact of this group on a concerned community.
Episode 5 - London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
Ross Kemp visits London to investigate the multi cultural society that breeds international organised crime. Ross also speaks to ethnic minorities that feel they are alienated by society and the system. See also Gangs in the United Kingdom.
Series 2
Episode 1 - El SalvadorEl Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
Ross travels to El Salvador to meet the "most dangerous gang in the world", MS13 (Mara Salvatrucha
Mara Salvatrucha
Mara Salvatrucha is a transnational criminal gang that originated in Los Angeles and has spread to other parts of the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Central America. The majority of the gang is ethnically composed of Central Americans and active in urban and suburban areas...
) a gang started by migrant Salvadoran youths in urban Los Angeles. In a country with a population smaller than London, there are over 800 murders a year, and MS13 manages to boast over 100,000 members world wide.
Episode 2 - Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
Ross Kemp gets inside Moscow's vicious Neo-Nazi gangs and discovers who is behind the recent racist attacks. He joins one Neo-Nazi group during their training and through a series of tests (which include him being set on fire).
Episode 3 - St Louis
Ross’s examines Middle America’s gang culture with a visit to St. Louis, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
; where he takes a look at how this Midwestern municipality with a population of 342,000 people, there are around 380,000 guns – and many of these are in the hands of gang members.
Episode 4 - South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
Ross explores South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
's ferocious Numbers Gang
The Numbers Gang
The Numbers Gang are a well known prison gang with one of the most fearsome reputations in South Africa if not the world. They are known to operate primarily in the Western Cape prison of Pollsmoor, however it is thought that they control most of the South African prisons.-Origin:Although the...
which thrives in the country's overcrowded prisons. Nowhere is their power more potent than Cape Town's Pollsmoor High Security Prison
Pollsmoor Prison
Pollsmoor Prison, officially, Pollsmoor Maximum Security Prison is a prison in the Cape Town suburb of Tokai in South Africa. Nelson Mandela was the most famous inmate of the prison...
. Here, Ross learns the fearsome power of the Numbers who subject new arrivals to violent attacks and gang rapes as part of their brutal initiations. (NB: It was this episode which won the Bafta for Best Factual Series, 2008.)
Episode 5 - Teenage Gangs of South London
Following the recent spate of gang related incidents in London, Ross Kemp visits Peckham and Brixton and speaks to some of South London's most notorious gangs, including the Peckham boys and Cripset
Gang
A gang is a group of people who, through the organization, formation, and establishment of an assemblage, share a common identity. In current usage it typically denotes a criminal organization or else a criminal affiliation. In early usage, the word gang referred to a group of workmen...
(South London Crips). See also Gangs in the United Kingdom.
Series 3
- Episode 1 - JamaicaJamaicaJamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
Ross Kemp travels to Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
, the murder capital of the world, where gangs historically aligned to Jamaica's two political parties. Ross discovers the gangs have moved away from their political roots and now engage in a bloody turf war, funded by drugs and driven by tit-for-tat reprisals, that has spawned a new generation of even more violent gangs.
- Episode 2 - PolandPolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
Ross travels to Poland to visit the Polish
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
football hooligan
Football hooliganism
Football hooliganism, sometimes referred to by the British media as the English Disease, is unruly and destructive behaviour—such as brawls, vandalism and intimidation—by association football club fans...
s who have become some of the most feared gangs in Europe. Ross joins an elite police riot squad as they escort a notoriously violent hooligan gang and travels to Gorzów
Gorzów Wielkopolski
Gorzów Wielkopolski is a city in western Poland, on the Warta river. It is the biggest city in the Lubusz Voivodeship with 125,149 inhabitants...
, to meet the leaders of the brutal Stilon Fighters.
- Episode 3 - ColombiaColombiaColombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
Kemp visits Colombia, a country ravaged by war and synonymous with drugs and violence, Ross Kemp meets the people involved in the long and bitter guerrilla fighting - including the most secretive of them all, the Sicarios
Sicarii
Sicarii is a term applied, in the decades immediately preceding the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, to an extremist splinter group of the Jewish Zealots, who attempted to expel the Romans and their partisans from Judea using concealed daggers .-History:The Sicarii used...
. These small groups, mostly under the employ of the paramilitaries, operate as 'hit-squads', killing whoever is considered a threat.
- Episode 4 - East TimorEast TimorThe Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...
More than two-thirds of East Timorese
East Timor
The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...
youth are believed to be involved in gangs, ranging from martial arts groups to cult-like animist gangs. In the barrios of downtown Dili
Dili
Dili, spelled Díli in Portuguese, is the capital, largest city, chief port and commercial centre of East Timor.-Geography and Administration:Dili lies on the northern coast of Timor island, the easternmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands....
, Ross meets Sacred Heart and Seven Seven, two gangs in the midst of a deadly conflict, and witnesses their bizarre rituals, strict training and terrifying arsenal.
Series 4
- Special - LiverpoolLiverpoolLiverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
- See also Gangs in the United Kingdom.
Street gangs of Norris Green and Croxteth. For legal reasons, broadcast of this program was delayed until the 6th January 2009 due to the Rhys Jones murder trial
Murder of Rhys Jones
The murder of Rhys Milford Jones occurred in Liverpool, England, when he was shot in the back. An 18-year-old youth, Sean Mercer, went on trial on 2 October 2008 and was convicted of murder on 16 December 2008....
.
- Episode 1 - Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
Ross Kemp travels to Los Angeles, California to interview the Crips
Crips
The Crips are a primarily, but not exclusively, African American gang. They were founded in Los Angeles, California, in 1969 mainly by Raymond Washington and Stanley Williams...
and the Bloods
Bloods
The Bloods are a street gang founded in Los Angeles, California. The gang is widely known for its rivalry with the Crips. They are identified by the red color worn by their members and by particular gang symbols, including distinctive hand signs...
in the areas of Compton
Compton, California
Compton is a city in southern Los Angeles County, California, United States, southeast of downtown Los Angeles. The city of Compton is one of the oldest cities in the county and on May 11, 1888, was the eighth city to incorporate. The city is considered part of the South side by residents of Los...
, known to be the most gang prohibited area in all of the United States. And the fight between African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
and Latino
Hispanic and Latino Americans
Hispanic or Latino Americans are Americans with origins in the Hispanic countries of Latin America or in Spain, and in general all persons in the United States who self-identify as Hispanic or Latino.1990 Census of Population and Housing: A self-designated classification for people whose origins...
gang members.
- Episode 2 - BulgariaBulgariaBulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
Kemp explores Bulgaria and some parts of London to find out who is actually behind the Roma Pick-Pocketing members. He also goes to Bulgaria to visit Roma gangs and Neo-Nazi Skinheads.
- Episode 3 - BelizeBelizeBelize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...
Cocaine trafficking.
- Episode 4 - Ross Kemp: A Kenya SpecialKenyaKenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
In this 90-minute special, Ross Kemp travels to Kenya to investigate the Mungiki
Mungiki
Mungiki is a politico-religious group and a banned criminal organization in Kenya. The name means "A united people" or "multitude" in the Kikuyu language. The religion, which apparently originated in the late 1980s, is secretive and bears some similarity to mystery religions. Specifics of their...
, an outfit labelled as the most dangerous "gang" in Africa. A 20 minute Glue Kids Appeal followed a week after "A Kenya Special" aired.
See also
- Ross Kemp In AfghanistanRoss Kemp in AfghanistanRoss Kemp in Afghanistan and Ross Kemp: Return to Afghanistan are two 5 part Sky One British documentary series fronted by actor Ross Kemp about the British soldiers fighting in the War in Afghanistan as part of the International Security Assistance Force mission against the Taliban...
- shadows the first battalion Royal Anglians and offers insight into life on the front line with unprecedented access.
- The Impressions Show with Culshaw and StephensonThe Impressions Show with Culshaw and StephensonThe Impressions Show with Culshaw and Stephenson is a British comedy sketch show which stars impressionists Jon Culshaw and Debra Stephenson. A second series was broadcast between 14 November 2010 - 23 December 2010 and a third series started on the 26 October 2011 at 8.30pm on BBC One...
- a sketch usually featured at the end of the show which begins with Ross Kemp (portrayed by Jon CulshawJon CulshawJonathan Peter Culshaw is an English impressionist and comedian. He was educated at St Bede's RC High School, Ormskirk and St John Rigby College, in Orrell, Wigan....
), describing a gang he is about to encounter. Unlike the real show, he is usually referring to groups of people with no aggressive tone whatsoever e.g. Brownie (Girl Guides). He usually scarpers from the groups within thirty seconds of meeting them whilst saying "I could see things were about to kick off; so I got out of there!" however he then returns to these innocent groups a few "days" later and they have the same impact once again.